The Mid Vermont Christian School girls high-school basketball team from Quechee, Vt. gave up a chance to compete in a Division 4 state championship tournament when their team refused to play against a transgender player on another team.
Reports CNN:
Mid Vermont Christian School (MVCS) was set to play Long Trail School on February 21, but MVCS forfeited the game due to a transgender player on Long Trail’s roster, according to the head of school at MVCS, Vicky Fogg.
“We withdrew from the tournament because we believe playing against an opponent with a biological male jeopardizes the fairness of the game and the safety of our players,” Fogg said in a statement. “Allowing biological males to participate in women’s sports sets a bad precedent for the future of women’s sports in general.”
The Vermont Principals’ Association (VPA) policy on gender identity, the state’s governing body for school sports, says students are able to participate in athletic activities “in a manner consistent with their gender identity,” which is outlined in the Vermont Agency of Education Best Practices for Schools Regarding Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Students.
The VPA shared with CNN on Monday that it “reiterates its support for each student” following the incident. …
Trans youth are a small and vulnerable group that, LGBTQ advocates say, are largely misunderstood, making their existence ripe for attacks.
A 2019 National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health found that more than half of transgender and non-binary youth have seriously considered suicide, and a 2021 Williams Institute study reports 30% of transgender youth have attempted suicide in the year prior to the study.
Read the complete CNN story here.
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